Christmas Cupids
by kelly4
Summary: Since things have been tense between Clark and Lois since her return from Star City, Oliver and Jimmy decide to take matters into their own hands.


**Christmas Morning ~ 2008**

Clark Kent prided himself, nowadays anyway, on being able to control his abilities and use them to help people who needed it. He had learned not only to control them, but really, to fine tune them so he could best use them to his advantage, which, in turn, was to the advantage of those he helped.

He could x-ray a small, confined space from yards away. He could hear a call for help in Smallville while at work in Metropolis. His superfast reflexes had become even quicker, his senses had become heightened.

When, of course, he was focused. Which, he usually was.

However, early Christmas morning, his focus wasn't on Metropolis, or any other town or city in the state of Kansas.

No, his senses were completely and utterly focused on _her_.

_Her_ being Lois Lane, who was, at the moment, perched up on his kitchen counter, legs wrapped tightly around his waist, lips locked with his in a sensuous and all too enjoyable battle, wearing his old state championship football jersey.

And little else, he discovered, as hands slid slowly up her silky legs and under the hem of the shirt. He grasped at her hips, a low groan escaping his throat as he tried to pull her even closer to him than she already was.

"Mmmm," she moaned softly, her hands slipping down his bare chest. Tearing her lips away from his, he took advantage of the new angle by trailing warm kisses down her neck.

"Smallville?" she managed to gasp. "Don't you think we should take this back upstairs?"

Instead of taking the time to voice his denial, he simply brought his lips back to hers, his hands sliding up her back and pressing her forward into him. He felt her sigh against him momentarily, as he slowly slid his tongue along her lower lip. Her hands pressed firmly against his chest, pushing slightly.

"Clark!"

Reluctantly, he pulled back slightly, noting the hazy lust shadowing her eyes, a look he was sure was mirrored in his own.

"What?"

"Upstairs?"

He leaned in, his lips capturing hers in a quick kiss.

"I'm good right here," he said, thrusting against her to show her just how [i]good[/i] he was with their current setting. A slow, seductive grin spread across his face as her eyes fluttered closed.

"I can see that," she said, regaining a little bit of control. "However, you and me having sex on your mother's kitchen counter seems sorta like sacrilege to me."

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly at that, his mind wandering back to the previous night when, after about twenty minutes of making out on the sofa, Lois had caught sight of a framed picture of his parents sitting on the mantle, seemingly smiling down at them. She'd immediately pushed him away, hopped off the couch, and faced it down, before turning back to Clark and giving him the most adorably shy smile he'd ever seen.

As if he hadn't been turned on enough already.

"You know, you're gonna have to get over that. There are a lot of memories of my parents in this house."

"Hmmm, well, we _could_ have this discussion right now, or you could take me upstairs and do many unspeakable things to me before everyone gets here. Which option would you prefer?"

Clark decided again that words weren't necessary, and answered her question by attacking her lips with his, feeling her moan her approval in response as her arms moved to circle his neck. He felt her part her lips, her tongue pressing insistently against his mouth, which he was more than happy to answer by allowing her entrance.

After a few more blissful moments, his passion-addled mind remembered her request to head back to his bedroom. He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up in his arms, her legs still tightly wound around him, their lips never parting. He thanked his lucky stars for all the years he'd spent in this house, allowing him to navigate his way to the staircase while remaining completely occupied with the gorgeous woman pressed against him.

Yes, all of his senses, super and otherwise, were completely focused on her.

Because of that? Clark Kent never heard the car door slamming outside his house. Nor did he hear, as he carefully guided him and Lois up the stairs, their lips never missing a beat, the gentle squeaking of the hinges on the kitchen door.

No, he was completely lost in a world of heat and passion as he rounded the stairwell corner to reach the last few steps, stopping momentarily to press her against the wall. His fingers grasped the hem of his jersey, only releasing her lips for a split second as he pulled it over her head, haphazardly tossing it behind him without a single thought before continuing down the hallway to his room.

So he certainly didn't see the two knowing smiles and one look of complete shock on the faces of the three people standing in the doorway of the Kent kitchen.

**

**The Previous Night ~ Christmas Eve**

Jimmy winced as the whiskey he sipped burned the back of his throat.

Sure, it probably wasn't the smartest idea, him sitting at the bar at the Ace of Clubs, nursing a whiskey while still recovering from his massive injuries.

But he couldn't help it.

They were driving him insane.

And he'd only been back a few days.

What would he be like by the end of the week?

Sighing, he took another sip.

They'd literally driven him to drink.

"Aren't you on pain meds or something?"

Jimmy turned his head in the direction of the familiar voice, seeing Oliver Queen sit down on the stool beside him.

"Yeah. Actually, I'm hoping that gets me to oblivion quicker," he snarked.

"Whoa, trouble in paradise for the newlyweds already?"

"Huh? Oh no…no, Chloe's great, we're great. In fact, as soon as she's done at Isis, we have a romantic Christmas Eve planned here in the city," Jimmy replied, smiling for the since he'd entered the establishment.

"Okay, so why are you sitting in a dark bar drinking alone?"

"Because they're driving me crazy," he muttered.

"Who exactly are we talking about?"

"Lois and Clark."

Oliver smirked in response. Catching that, Jimmy continued.

"They are the two most frustrating people on the planet."

"You'll get no argument from me."

"I mean, how can two people sit across from each other all day and barely speak? Chloe said that Clark showed up at the Talon the day Lois and I got back and she left them alone for a while, so I assumed they talked about whatever they needed to talk about then. But man, the tension's so thick between them you could cut it with a knife. That's of course, when Lois isn't staring wistfully at Clark when he's not looking, or Clark has got his lovesick puppy look on while watching an oblivious Lois," Jimmy ranted, then suddenly stopped, glancing at Oliver. "Oh hey man, I'm sorry…this is probably pretty awkward for you, what with Lois being your ex and all."

"Don't worry," Oliver said, signaling the bartender to bring him one of what Jimmy was having. "If anyone is completely unsurprised by this development, it's me."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say, I called it a long time ago. And I'm okay with it. More than okay, actually."

"That's really cool of you," Jimmy nodded, tilting his glass toward Oliver before raising it to his lips.

"Yeah, well, I _am_ a great guy," Oliver joked, taking a sip of his own drink. "Besides, I have a feeling they'd be really good together. And, not for nothing, they'd probably be very amusing for the rest of us."

"If they ever _get_ together."

"Yeah, I know. I saw Lois at the wedding and she was pretty torn up about Lana. And I'm sure her time away only helped her bury any feelings she'd reluctantly allowed herself to feel for Clark in the first place."

"Well, I was unconscious for a lot of the time, but once I'd woken up, she was pretty adept at making sure she steered any and all conversation away from Clark Kent."

"Sounds about right. Not that Clark was much better. He'd try and be all secretive, making phone calls to her on his cell and leaving voicemails, but when I'd try and talk to him about it, he'd completely clam up. And I don't think she returned any of his messages, which, of course, led to Clark moping around. I even caught him staring at her empty desk once when I stopped by the Planet. Plus, he wasn't too happy that Lois was staying at my place in Star City. I think he jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"They both seem to be pretty good at that."

"I think he's picked it up from her," Oliver said dryly.

"Well, he's not gonna get the chance to pick anything else up from her because she barely stays in the same room with him for any length of time, unless there are _a lot_ of people around."

"Has he tried to get her alone?"

"Yeah, he has, but you know Clark, sometimes he's too much of a gentleman for his own good. What he should do is just pull her into one of the supply closets and lock the door."

Oliver chuckled. "I'd pay money to see that, if only because Lois' reaction to that particular stunt would be worth the price of admission. But unfortunately, you're right. It's gonna take a bold move on Clark's part to get Lois to spend any alone time with him, let alone date him."

"And I think he has it in him, but he's just afraid right now of scaring her off. Especially with her attitude the past few days since we got back from Star City. I swear, if those two don't get it together soon, I'm gonna lock them in one of the supply closets myself, and I'm not letting them out until they're either engaged or they kill each other."

Oliver pondered that for a moment. "Hmmm. You might be onto something there, Jimmy."

"Huh?"

"Maybe that's what we should do."

"Oliver, I was kidding."

"No, I know…but clearly they're gonna need a push. We need to force them to be in the same place at the same time. Clark wants some alone time with Lois? We give it to him, and put him in the position where he has to make a move."

"You're serious?"

"Look, this isn't only for Clark and Lois, it's for the sake of all our sanities. I've had enough of lovesick, mopey Clark these past few weeks to last me the rest of my life. And it sounds like the Ace of Clubs will have a new regular in you if they keep it up at work."

Jimmy considered this, nodding slowly.

"What do you have in mind?"

Oliver took another sip of his drink, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the bar.

"Lois still at the Planet?"

"Yeah, but Clark headed back to Smallville already. He was hinting around about how lonely the farm was for Christmas Eve this year, but Lois either didn't pick up on it or blew it off."

Tapping the side of his glass for a minute, Oliver narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. A slow smile began to appear on his face.

"I've got it."

"What?"

"We just have to get Lois to the farm."

"Wait, you wanna do this tonight?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"It's Christmas Eve!"

"Which makes it perfect. I didn't know what to get Clark for Christmas anyway, so I'll get him Lois," he shrugged, as if that was the most normal thing in the world. "Besides, we're all supposed to meet for brunch tomorrow at the farm, it'll be hell if we have to put up with Clark and Lois playing the avoidance game the whole time."

"But how are you gonna convince her to go there?"

"Just leave it to me," he said, flashing Jimmy a confident smile. He waved the bartender over. "You got some paper and a pen back there?" The bartender nodded, reaching down and grabbing a notebook and ripping a page out, handing it and a pen to Oliver. "Thanks," he said, before beginning to write quickly. After he finished, he folded it quickly and put it in his pocket, before standing up and tossing some money on the bar.

"Where are you going?"

"To deliver one stubborn Ms. Lane to the Kent Farm. Trust me, Jimmy, by tomorrow morning when we're drinking eggnog and celebrating the season? All tension between Clark Kent and Lois Lane will be nothing but a distant memory. Well," he paused, reconsidering his statement, "at least the uncomfortable, longing tension will be resolved. I'm not promising any resolution to the sexual tension between them. But you never know, Christmas miracles do happen," Oliver quipped, slapping a chuckling Jimmy on the back. "Tell Chloe I said Merry Christmas!" he said, before heading out the door.

**

**20 minutes later ~ Daily Planet**

Rubbing her eyes, Lois glanced at the small clock in the corner of her computer screen.

7:30 P.M.

She knew she should leave. Even on a good night, leaving at this time wouldn't get her back to the Talon until close to 11:00. But it was Christmas Eve and it had just started to snow.

But she was avoiding the empty Talon apartment for as long as she could. Not that she wanted to be the third wheel in Chloe and Jimmy's first Christmas together (she really needed to find her own place), but spending Christmas Eve alone above the deserted coffee shop didn't seem all that enticing either.

Of course, Clark _had _been hinting around about being alone at the farm, as well. She'd pretended not to notice, of course. But she had, and she was _sorely_ tempted. Even with all the tension between them the last few days, despite the hashing out session they'd had when she first got back from Star City.

A tense Christmas Eve was a better prospect than a lonely one.

But, in the end, she'd decided that she needed to play it safe and avoid, avoid, avoid.

See, she'd spent weeks convinced Clark was playing house with Lana again, and forced herself into believing she was fine with it. So, when Clark had told her that he and Lana hadn't actually reunited, and what's more, he'd actually moved on and was over her, it had sent Lois into a tailspin she didn't know how to deal with.

She had sensed, that night at the Talon, that Clark was getting ready to ask her out, but she'd immediately cut him off. It wasn't that she hadn't believed him about Lana, because she was pretty good at reading Clark and there wasn't any hint of denial or longing for Lana in his voice or his eyes.

No, it was more that she'd spent so long burying her feelings under walls of protective denial, that she was terrified to let him break those walls down again. Especially because she'd seen him do it so quickly in the months leading up to Chloe's wedding without even trying, without even having any knowledge that he was dismantling her well-built defense system.

Friends. Being friends, co-workers, it just seemed _easier_. Because the heartache she'd felt after Chloe's wedding, she never wanted to feel that again. It had shocked her with its intensity, and she had scolded herself repeatedly for allowing herself to fall for Clark Kent.

So, she resolved to just wait it out. Surely, it would get easier and she and Clark could get back to the way things were, before her feelings began confusing the hell out of things and before he started looking at her in a way that threatened to melt the ice with which she had tried so hard to shield her heart.

Sighing, she shut down her computer, beginning to gather her things to head home, when a familiar voice rang out through the practically empty bullpen.

"What a shock. Lois Lane, last reporter standing in the Daily Planet bullpen. Even on Christmas Eve."

"It's really amazing you haven't found anyone yet, Oliver, what with that _delightful_ sense of humor," Lois replied snarkily, but with a hint of a grin on her face.

He simply smiled in response, a quirk of his eyebrow acknowledging her sarcasm. "Clark around?" he managed to ask innocently enough.

"He left already."

"Damn," he muttered, making sure it was loud enough for Lois to hear.

"What?"

"It's just that…he really needed this tonight," he said, holding up a large manila envelope. "I was hoping to catch him."

"Well, did he know you were coming?"

"I'm running late, he probably figured I forgot," Oliver shrugged. Then, he looked at her, his face taking on the expression of someone who just had the lightbulb go off. "Hey, you're headed back to Smallville aren't you?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Could you drop this at the farm for me?"

Her eyes widened, and inwardly Ollie smirked, waiting for the inevitable reasons as to why she couldn't to come flying out of her mouth.

"Oliver, you're gonna see him in the morning at brunch. I'm sure whatever it is can wait until then," she replied, grabbing her purse and walking over to the coat closet.

"It can't wait."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's some research he asked for, I guess for an article he's working on."

"Wait, what? He's working on an article? Without me knowing? What's it about?"

"Something to do with a charity Queen Industries started," he lied smoothly.

She nodded slowly, and Oliver figured she bought it, so he decided to go in for the kill.

"I just know he was planning on getting it basically done tonight, so he didn't have to worry about it tomorrow. You know, since he didn't have any Christmas Eve plans. I just feel really bad because I was supposed to be here a couple of hours ago, but I got held up in a business meeting."

He held out the envelope to her as she shrugged her coat on.

"Can't Jimmy bring it?"

"Jimmy is staying in Metropolis tonight, you know that."

She sighed, beginning to become resigned to her fate. "Right. And you're positive it can't wait?"

"It really can't. This was the last thing he needed to finish the article."

Suddenly Lois tilted her head, giving him a quizzical look. "It's funny that he never mentioned it, if it's so important to him and all."

Oliver struggled to keep from rolling his eyes. Damn her inquisitive nature.

"Do you tell him everything about _your_ stories?" he challenged. "Besides, from what I understand, you two aren't that into sharing anything these past few days," he continued, hoping that bringing up the awkwardness between her and Clark would be a topic she'd want to avoid enough to just do what he asked.

Bingo.

Irritated, Lois snatched the envelope out of his hand, missing Oliver's triumphant grin as she stuffed it in her bag.

"Fine," she muttered. "But, you know, he's not even gonna get it for a few hours anyway, so I don't see why it can't wait until morning."

"Trust me, it can't. I really appreciate this, Lois," Oliver said graciously, watching as she snatched her keys. "And so will Clark."

"Yeah, whatever, I'll see you tomorrow," she said, sounding none too happy.

Watching her walk off, Oliver smiled.

He'd done his part. Now it was up to Clark to do his.

**

**4 and a Half Hours Later – The Kent Farm**

Clark sat moodily, staring at the Christmas lights on the tree. He'd hoped decorating the place the way his mom used to would help his mood, but it hadn't. Christmas Eve had always been one of his favorite nights, with his mom bustling around making all of her delicious treats in the kitchen, and he and his dad watching football and making sure the fire stayed roaring.

But his mom was stuck in Washington and his dad was gone. So, he'd resigned himself to Christmas Eve alone.

Sure, his friends would be by in the morning. They'd all decided to get together for brunch at the farm as a way to celebrate the holiday, before they all went their separate ways to whatever celebrations they were attending.

But tonight? Tonight was lonely.

He'd tried his hardest to hint to Lois that he'd be alone, knowing full well she would be too, what with Jimmy and Chloe spending the night in Metropolis.

Clark had told himself Lois was just preoccupied, she hadn't picked up on his hinting. But the truth was, he knew she had, and she was just purposefully avoiding him now.

And he missed her.

If it was possible, he missed her more now that she was back than when she was gone. Because when she was in Star City, as much as he'd missed her, he knew that there was a reason she'd had to go and, moreover, a reason he'd needed to stay.

But her being back, and not wanting to have anything to do with him? That hurt more than he ever thought possible.

It frustrated him too, because he thought, when he'd gone over to the Talon the night she and Jimmy had returned, that they'd be able to talk about what had happened between them.

He should have known better though, especially considering how well he knew one Lois Lane. She had used the three weeks she'd been in Star City sitting vigil at Jimmy's bedside to completely talk herself out of the feelings he knew had been there the night of Chloe's wedding. He was fairly certain she'd believed him about Lana, so that wasn't the issue.

No, the issue was that Lois had made up her mind. She would just pretend nothing happened and avoid him until things were back to normal.

The thing was, Clark knew he didn't want things to be normal between them anymore. The weeks she'd been gone, he'd realized just how much she meant to him, how hard he had fallen for her in the months they'd been working together at the Planet. If he were to be honest with himself, he'd been attracted to her for far longer, and they'd certainly always shared a connection he'd never shared with any other woman in his life, but he hadn't let himself acknowledge that until recently.

But of course, Lana had shown up, and then the monster had appeared, wreaking deadly havoc on what should have been nothing but a joyous and romantic night, which led to the weeks they spent apart.

Weeks where Clark finally admitted to himself that he was in love with Lois. And weeks where Lois seemed to talk herself out of the same admission regarding him.

He rubbed his hand roughly over his eyes, glancing at his watch.

Midnight. He could go to bed, though he wasn't really tired. But the thought of sitting and staring at the tree any longer wasn't all that enticing either. He toyed with the idea of going out and shoveling the newly accumulated snow off the drive, saving himself the job in the morning - not that it would take him long at all. But as he glanced out the window, he could see that it would be a waste of time, even as little time as it would take him. The snow was coming down even harder than it had been a few hours ago.

"Fun night, huh boy?" he asked, reaching down and petting Shelby's head resting in his lap. The dog looked up at him with mournful eyes, seeming to sense the mood of his owner.

Then, his ears perked up, and Clark noticed the dog's head turn toward the door.

"What is it, buddy?"

In an instant, Shelby leapt off the sofa, beginning to bark loudly as he headed for the kitchen door. Clark got up and followed, picking up the pace when he heard a quick knock.

Flinging the door open, he was stunned to see a shivering and thoroughly drenched Lois Lane.

"Lois?"

"Outta the way Clark," she uttered through chattering teeth, quickly pushing past him into the warmth of the farmhouse. His eyes followed her before glancing back outside. With a questioning look, he turned back toward her, closing the door.

"Where's your car?"

"About a half a mile up the road."

"Why?"

"Because the roads are horrible and I slid into a huge snowdrift."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"My phone died," she called behind her as she began walking toward the fire she'd just noticed. She knelt down in front of it, placing her hands as close to the flames as she could.

Finally resurfacing from the state of shock her appearance on his doorstep had put him in, he quickly followed her, coming up behind her and gently tugging on her soaking wet coat. She tensed for a moment, then allowed him to help her shrug it off. From the back of the sofa, he got his mother's favorite throw, tenderly wrapping it around her shoulders. She kicked off her now ruined heels and swung her skirt-clad legs in front of her so they too could feel the warmth of the fire. He grinned as Shelby, as usual, planted himself right next to Lois, causing her to sneeze almost immediately before she sent a small smile the dog's way.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked, then quickly added, "Not that I'm not glad you're here, it's just…"

"Late?"

"I just didn't expect you. You said you were going back to the Talon for the night."

She threw him an odd look, which Clark didn't quite understand. "Didn't Oliver call you?"

"Huh? No, why would Oliver call me?"

Lois gritted her teeth in annoyance before finally turning to face him. "He showed up at the Planet after you left, saying he had something really important to give you, something you were expecting for an article you were working on. Which, way to share, by the way. He said it couldn't wait until the morning so he asked me to drop it off."

She turned and began digging through her bag, completely missing the perplexed look on Clark's face. He was about to voice his confusion when she turned back to him, handing him a large, manila envelope.

"This story you're working on better be worth it. In fact, I think I should get a shared by-line considering I walked half a mile through a freakin' blizzard in three-inch heels to get you whatever the hell that is."

He tore open the envelope, extracting a single piece of paper. On it was simply a short note, in his billionaire friend's familiar handwriting.

_Clark,_

_We got her to the farm. It's up to you to do the rest._

_Merry Christmas!_

_Ollie and Jimmy_

_P.S. – Don't screw it up. Our sanities depend on it._

His eyes widened, realization washing over him.

They'd tricked her into coming here so he could have time alone with her.

The corner of his lips ticked up a bit, but quickly retreated when he realized that two beautiful hazel eyes were staring at him.

"So?"

He looked at her blankly in response.

"What is it?"

"Oh…um…it's like Ollie said, just something for a story I'm researching," he responded, quickly shoving the paper back into the envelope and desperately praying she had no more questions because he had no idea what Oliver had told her as part of his cover. She narrowed her eyes at him, but then she seemed to catch a chill as she visibly shivered, turning her attention back to the fire and wrapping the blanket around her more tightly.

Seeing her temporarily distracted, he quickly got up and returned to the kitchen, putting the envelope in the far corner of the counter. Out of sight, out of mind, he hoped.

"So, you think you can get your truck out?" she called.

"What? Why?" he asked, feigning innocence the best he could. For someone who had to lie all the time to protect his secret, he had a great deal of trouble when lying for any other reason, especially to Lois, who was extraordinarily good at sniffing out a fib.

"So you can take me home, genius," she snarked, rising from her seat by the fire, keeping the blanket around her.

"I don't know, Lois, the roads are pretty bad. Maybe you should just stay here for the night."

The silence that greeted his statement made Clark glad he wasn't making eye contact with her, because he was sure if he had been, he'd be dead. No one had a death stare better than Lois'.

"Come on, Clark, you aren't afraid of a little snow, are you?"

He could hear the edge of anxiety in her voice, the prospect of staying overnight with him at the farm apparently unnerving her.

When he didn't respond, she tried again. "Okay, how about you just drive me to my car? You can help me get it out and then I can drive back to the Talon."

He shook his head. "I'm not letting you drive in this."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he'd made a mistake.

"You're not _letting_ me? Really? So, what, you've turned caveman now?" she shot back, her voice rising, eyes sparking in a way that made the blood in his body take a very sharp turn southward.

_Yeah, that's good Clark, think about how hot she is while she's screaming at you._

"You're unbelievable," she muttered angrily, stalking back into the living room and grabbing her shoes. She reached down, shoving each one onto a foot, then grabbed her still sopping jacket, and started to storm past him.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I walked here, I can walk back."

"All the way to the Talon!?! Your car's stuck in a snowdrift!"

"If I have to!" she tossed back petulantly. She grabbed for the door handle, but didn't get any further as Clark quickly wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"This is ridiculous, Lois."

She moved against him, trying to break from his grasp, but he simply turned and placed her down, keeping himself between her and the door.

"You've got two seconds to move, farmboy, or I start getting violent."

"Lois, what's the big deal? Look, its past midnight, and you said it yourself, the roads are awful. Just stay. You can even have your old room. I'm sure Shelby would much rather share a bed with you than with me anyway."

Her eyes drifted to the dog, who was watching her intently from the archway into the living room.

"Come on, you're freezing. You can go up and take a hot shower and I'll throw your clothes in the dryer. You can borrow something of mine to wear to bed."

He could see her wavering, the thought of a hot shower no doubt extremely tempting given how much she was shivering. He knew it was time to go in for the kill.

"And Mom sent me some of her cocoa mix and her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I'll have it ready for you by the time you're done with your shower."

Her eyes widened slightly at that, and she shifted her weight slightly under his gaze.

"With marshmallows?"

"As many as you want."

She pursed her lips for a moment, seeming to weigh her decision.

"Fine," she finally acquiesced. "But I'm only staying for the cocoa," she huffed, before turning and heading upstairs.

**

**40 Minutes Later**

He heard her footsteps coming down the stairs before he actually saw her.

"Wow, a thirty minute shower, that's nothing for you. I expected at least...."

His voice left him before he could finish the thought, though, as he caught sight of her descending the stairs. Wearing his state championship football jersey. And apparently, not much else, from the looks of it.

And the blood that had recently settled nicely back into the northerly regions of his body began to flee south again.

He'd had a similar reaction the night he'd given her the jersey to wear after Chloe's engagement party. But he'd squashed it quickly, she was absolutely hammered and, truthfully, the strength of his reaction to her that night confused him, and it was something he wasn't ready to fully admit to himself. So, he'd busied himself taking care of her that night, pushing any impure thoughts about the woman in question out of his mind.

Now, though? Now he was under no illusions that he was anything but extremely attracted to and completely in love with Lois Lane. So he allowed himself to admire the incredibly sexy sight of her in his jersey, albeit from safely behind the kitchen island. There was no need for her to notice just how _much_ he was enjoying the view.

She rested her elbows on the counter across from him, seemingly oblivious to the effect she was having on him.

"So, where's my cocoa? And it better have lots of marshmallows."

The sound of her voice seemed to snap him out of the daze he was in, and he passed her a steaming mug, tossing in a few extra marshmallows as he did.

She raised the mug to her lips, taking a long sip.

"Mmmmmm," she moaned blissfully, doing nothing to help his current condition. "I swear, your mother's cocoa is better than sex."

"Maybe you just haven't been with the right guy."

He could feel the heat rise in his cheeks as soon as the words left his mouth. Where in the hell had _that_ come from?

Lois seemed to have the same question, as she stared at him, mouth agape.

Clearing his throat, he quickly took a sip from his own mug, desperate to try and fill the current silence between them.

"So…um, you wanna watch TV? There's about a million holiday specials on."

Mouth closed and currently turned up into a smirk, clearly catching onto his attempt to change the subject, she shrugged. "Whatever. Though I can't imagine they're playing any of the good ones at this hour."

He watched her walk into the living room, taking advantage yet again of the view that afforded him, before taking a deep breath and willing himself to get under control. The effect she had on him was terrifying and exciting all at the same time, a prospect that at one time would have made him pause. Now, he found he was looking forward to seeing what might happen, and all the possibilities that went along with it.

He walked into the room, unsurprised to see Shelby had taken up residence practically on Lois' lap, which unfortunately lessened Clark's view of her gorgeous legs. He smiled as Lois sneezed, but then quickly went back to affectionately patting the dog's head.

"He's missed you."

"Of course he has. The mutt loves me," she said, commandeering the remote and flipping through the channels. She finally settled on a showing of _Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer_, leaning back and enjoying her cocoa while rhythmically stroking Shelby's sleepy head.

They sat in silence, which Lois seemed oddly comfortable with, but Clark was anything but.

He had her here, but now what? How does he start the conversation he knows they need to have?

Fifteen minutes later, and the silence was starting to suffocate Clark.

She infuriated him because he knew her well enough to know that she would shoot down just about anything he said. And he also knew he was working with limited time. It was well after midnight already, and even night owl Lois Lane would be heading to bed soon.

"I'm gonna get more cocoa, you want some?"

Her voice startled him slightly, not having heard it for a while.

"No thanks," he responded, shaking his head.

She walked into the kitchen, and he could hear her rattling around, as she always did. The woman couldn't cook to save her life but she always managed to cause a commotion in the kitchen.

Just one of her many endearing traits.

But he knew even she could warm some milk, so he left her to it, grabbing the remote in her absence to try and find something else to watch. After some flipping, he finally settled on a showing of _Christmas Vacation_, tossing the remote back on the sofa and settling back in the armchair.

"What the hell?"

Her voice pierced the relative calmness of the farmhouse, and he sat up quickly, turning towards the kitchen.

And that was when he remembered.

He'd left the envelope sitting on the counter. Which would be way too tempting for one Lois Lane.

Jumping up, he began to walk into the kitchen, but was met halfway by a furious Lois.

"Start talking, Clark," she said through clenched teeth, holding up Oliver's note.

"Lois, I…"

"This was all a set-up? Just to make sure I have this straight, you, my ex, and my cousin-in-law all conspired to get me to the farm tonight?"

"Wait, I had nothing to do with it! I didn't even know about it until I saw that note!"

"Oh, well that makes it _so_ much better Clark! Because that means you just _lied_ to me!"

"I just, I wanted you to stay Lois!"

"Then why didn't you just _ask_?"

"Oh yeah, because you've been _so_ receptive to me the past few days," he shot back, his anger starting to get the better of him. "And anyway, I did ask! Today, I spent all day trying to get you to come over here tonight!"

"Hinting is not asking Clark!"

"And what would you have said if I asked?"

"What kind of question is that? You have to _ask_ in the first place if you want to get an actual answer. Oh but that would mean you actually took a _risk_, now wouldn't it?"

"That's a little like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?"

"What the hell does that mean? I take plenty of risks!"

"Yeah, in your job."

She stepped closer to him, her voice becoming almost eerily quiet. "What are you trying to say, Clark?"

"I'm saying that you've been avoiding me the past few days because you're scared to take a risk with your heart."

She looked taken aback for a second, stunned that he'd actually confronted her with that. But she quickly composed herself, crossing her arms in front of her defiantly.

"Talk about the pot and the kettle," she sneered.

His lips ticked up into a smirk. "You want me to take a risk?" he asked, suddenly feeling emboldened. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear she had red kryptonite on her, because he seemed to find this side of himself around her more often than with anyone else. "Fine, Lois. I'll take the chance for both of us."

And with two large strides, he was in front of her, grabbing her face in her hands and bringing his mouth down on hers. Within a second of the contact, he heard her moan softly against his lips, her arms unfolding and reaching around his neck. He allowed one hand to drift down her neck, down her side and around her back, pressing her to him as he urged her to deepen the kiss by slanting his lips over hers, his tongue pressing insistently against her mouth. She happily obliged him, running a hand through his thick, dark hair.

He began backing them up into the living room, both hands now grasping her waist as he pulled her along with him, their lips never parting as he moved them carefully but quickly toward the sofa.

When the back of his legs finally hit his target, he sat down, pulling her down to straddle his lap. A groan escaped his throat as he felt her brush against his currently straining jeans.

She pulled back, settling into his lap and running a hand along his jaw.

"That was a hell of a risk, Smallville."

Grinning, he ran a hand up her leg, letting it slide under the hem of his jersey.

"That's the first time you've called me Smallville since you've been back."

She bit the side of her lip, leaning and brushing her nose against his.

"I didn't realize you'd been keeping track."

He brushed his lips against hers.

"I missed it," he whispered huskily, feeling her shiver slightly in response.

"I missed _you_," she said quietly, raising her eyes to meet his. His lips lifted into a soft smile at that, acknowledging her answering his risk taking with her own.

"I missed you too," he answered softly, before leaning in and capturing her lips again, pressing her hips against him, feeling her hands run down his chest to the hem of his t-shirt. She lifted it, and he broke their kiss to help her relieve him of it. Watching as she ran her eyes over his newly revealed chest, he felt a surge of lust at the obvious passion in her eyes. Lifting her slightly, he laid her down on the sofa, instantly coming down on top of her, quickly bringing his lips back to hers.

He felt her tongue against his lips, quickly flicking his tongue out to meet hers as he ran his hand up her thigh, pushing the bottom of the jersey up to her waist. His hand continued its journey, moving under the red shirt and grazing the satiny edge of her bra. She bucked up against him, and he rewarded her with a thrust of his own, tearing his lips from hers and trailing soft, wet kisses along her jaw before descending to her neck.

The following minutes seemed to pass in a haze of gasps, roving hands, and warm lips exploring anything within their reach. She wrapped her leg around his, pushing up against him, her hand moving dangerously close to the button of his jeans. He moaned softly against her lips, before moving to the spot on her neck he'd discovered a few minutes earlier.

"Mmmm," she sighed, arching her head back to give him better access. He began moving slowly down her neck, leaving soft, wet kisses in his wake.

"Clark."

"Lois," he sighed breathily in response.

He could feel her hands on his chest, pushing against him.

"Clark, stop!"

He pulled away immediately, his eyes still fogged over with passion as he looked at her, confused. She pushed against his chest again, and this time, he moved back slightly, allowing her to hop out from under him.

"What's wrong?" he said, disappointed at loss of contact with her. She didn't respond, only moved quickly over to the mantle. Once there, she reached out and ran her fingers along the picture of his parents, then faced it down. Turning back to him, she simply shrugged, smiling shyly in a way he wasn't sure he'd ever seen her smile before.

But he knew he found it completely adorable. And sexy.

"Maybe we should take this upstairs."

He sat up, blinking quickly, enabling himself to clear his head slightly.

"Upstairs?"

"Yeah…unless," she paused, and suddenly she looked away from him, "I mean, unless you don't want to…," she trailed off, but Clark immediately jumped in.

"No, no I do…I definitely do."

She giggled slightly at his speedy response, meeting his eyes again and biting her lip in a way that made Clark want to superspeed across the room and pin her against the nearest vertical surface.

Superspeed.

His shoulders deflated slightly at that thought.

"Um, Lois? There's something we should talk about."

Lois looked at him incredulously. "Now?"

"Yeah…I think we should, you know, before we…"

"Clark," she interrupted. "I'm _so_ not interested in talking right now."

She began walking toward the stairs, stopping and turning back to him. Seeing him still sitting on the sofa, she tilted her head, leaning against the archway.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait."

"It probably can," he nodded, "but it shouldn't. There's something I need to tell you."

"What is so important that it can't wait until…well anytime after the next hour or two?"

"I just think you should know what you're getting into," he said, finally standing and taking a step toward her.

"I'd much rather have this conversation after _you_ get into _me_," she said silkily, walking over to him and running a hand along his chest.

"Lois!"

He felt himself blushing slightly at that. Or the heat suddenly overtaking his face could have been the result of her hand wandering over his skin.

She smiled seductively, looking up at him. "I'm serious. Besides, what's so important that it can't wait? You gonna tell me you're like…I don't know, the red-and-blue blur or something?"

His eyes widened in shock as soon as the words left her mouth. Seeing his reaction caused her mouth to drop open.

"No way!"

"Lois…"

"Holy Crap!"

Her eyes travelled over him, from head to toe, and he could see a hint of amazement in her eyes.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Considering your wardrobe, I probably should have figured it out in the first place," she said, her tone slightly teasing.

"There's more."

"I'm sure there is. And I want you to tell me all about it. Later."

"Lois…"

"Clark, it doesn't matter. Okay? Whatever you're gonna tell me? It won't change anything."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Well I would be. It doesn't matter, it _won't_ matter because whatever it is, it won't change who you are to me. All I want right now? Is you. I've waited for this for months. I'm tired of waiting."

With that, she stepped closer to him, reaching up and taking his face between her hands, pulling him down into a passionate kiss. Somewhere in the back of his mind, in the small part that was thinking rationally, he knew what she said to be true. He'd always known it.

She would accept him, and it wouldn't change who he was to her.

So he let himself pull her closer, losing himself in the warmth of her mouth, the heat of her skin. Knowing that that particular conversation could wait.

But that he couldn't wait any longer for her.

She broke from his lips with a sigh, pulling back slightly.

"So, I don't suppose you can superblur us up to your bedroom, huh?"

He grinned at that, loving the sparkle in her eyes as she looked up at him, feeling every inch of her body pressed against his.

"What? I think that's the perfect use of that particular ability."

Finding that he couldn't agree more, he picked her up in his arms and supersped them upstairs.

***

**The Next Morning**

"You do know we're like 45 minutes early," Chloe said to Oliver, sitting across from her in the limo he'd picked them up in in Metropolis.

"Hey, I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Who knew how the roads would be out here in the boonies after that storm last night? Besides, Clark won't care, you know that."

They were still about a mile from the farm, the backseat containing, in addition to Chloe, Jimmy, and Oliver, a bevy of delicious food, from bagels to freshly made donuts to a huge fresh fruit salad.

Sometimes it was good to be friends with a billionaire.

"Maybe we should call," Chloe insisted. "Let him know we're almost here."

"What do you think he's doing? He's probably out tossing hay or whatever the hell it is he does there," Oliver shrugged, apparently content to let their early appearance at the farm be a surprise.

Chloe sighed, her way of acquiescing, as she leaned her head on Jimmy's shoulder. Oliver smiled at the newlyweds, feeling a pang of envy at their obvious happiness with each other.

As they got closer, Chloe whipped out the checklist she'd made, which had earned her a bit of good-natured teasing from her new husband, of all the things they had to bring out to Clark's. The three of them began going through the various items, as Chloe checked them off one by one.

And in so doing, completely missed the sight of Lois' car, still stuck in the snowdrift at the side of the road.

Once satisfied that they'd remembered everything, Chloe tucked her list back in her purse, beginning to gather up the bags as the driver called to Oliver that they had reached their destination.

They exited the car, each loaded down with several bags, the cold air slapping them in the face after the warmth of the luxurious limo.

"I still think we should have called," Chloe muttered, heading to the kitchen door.

"Will you relax, Chloe? What's he gonna do? Make us wait outside for another 40 minutes until we're right on time?"

"Yeah, C.K. won't care that we're early, don't worry," Jimmy chimed in, earning him a bit of a glare from his wife, who had clearly expected him to take her side. He jogged a few steps in front of her, heading to open the door for her in an attempt to make up for his error.

He opened the door quietly, ushering Chloe in with Oliver behind her. He was about to call out for Clark when he saw his two companions frozen in their spots. Looking in the direction they were, his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Mild-mannered Clark Kent somehow stumbling up the kitchen stairway with a jersey-clad Lois Lane completely wrapped around him.

Over Chloe's head, he glanced at Oliver, who simply looked at him with a knowing smile.

They'd rounded the corner now, completely out of sight from the audience they didn't know they had. A moment later, the jersey Lois had been wearing suddenly appeared in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

The bag of bagels Chloe had been holding hit the floor with a thud, and both men suddenly looked down at her, noticing her gaping mouth and wide, shocked eyes. Oliver noticed her inhale first, and, sensing her getting ready to exclaim something loudly, clapped a hand over her mouth and picked her up, quickly moving toward the door.

Jimmy burst out laughing, albeit quietly, at the sight of his wife kicking and squirming against Oliver Queen. When they got a safe distance away from the farm, Oliver put her down, taking his hand from her mouth. Chloe whirled around, panting from the exertion of struggling against Oliver's hold on her, confusion evident on her face.

"Oh my…dear… goodness. That...th-that was unexpected," she said breathlessly and still shocked, her eyes fixed on the farmhouse now in front of her.

"What? I've forcibly removed women from places before," Oliver quipped, more than a little amused at the events of the morning.

"Not that, you idiot," Chloe said, still trying to catch her breath. "Though we _will_ be talking about that later. I'm talking about Clark and Lois! They were making out!"

"I think they're doing a lot more than making out, Chloe," Oliver snarked, causing Jimmy to break out into another fit of laughter.

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him, then glanced at her chuckling husband.

"Why don't you two seem at all surprised by this?"

Composing himself, Jimmy nodded toward Oliver, indicating he'd do the explaining. Throwing an arm around Chloe, they began to walk back toward the limo.

"So, last night, I ran into Oliver at the Ace of Clubs," Jimmy started. Oliver grinned as he heard Jimmy recount the events of the previous night to Chloe, his voice trailing off as they re-entered the limo.

He watched the door close behind them, then his eyes drifted back to the farmhouse, up to Clark's bedroom window.

Jimmy and Clark were lucky as hell. Neither of them had come upon it easily, but they'd both found the women they wanted to spend their lives with.

Reaching in his pocket, he retrieved his cell phone. Looking at it thoughtfully, he flipped it open.

Maybe it was time to find out how a certain blackbird was spending _her_ holiday.


End file.
